“There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.”

-Sir Ranulph Fiennes

With the weather getting really, really cold (single digits), I knew that if I was planning on getting out to hike anytime soon, I would have to upgrade my current gloves. For as long as I can remember, I have used white athletic socks on the days that I have had to wear gloves. I know that sounds strange, and I can not offer any good reason as to why I have done this for so long. This year, however, I decided to get a decent pair of gloves for a couple of reasons.

First, I have found that as I get older, the cold affects me more than in the past. I tend to get colder quicker and I lose feeling in my extremities Second, also sticking with the “getting older” theme, even when I go out for a day hike I make sure that I am prepared to spend the night in the woods if something happens. This holds true for every hike that I take during every season.

With all of that said, let’s talk about the gloves. The gloves that I purchased were the REI Co-Op Fleece Gloves, size large. Before I ordered them, I used the sizing chart on the REI website to determine what size I should get. After receiving them, I tried them on and was very happy when they fit perfectly.

The hat I purchased to complete the ensemble was the Wigwam Outlast Watch cap. As with the gloves, the hat fit perfectly. Made of fabric that is touted to dry quickly, I am sure that at some point I will be able to test this.

Now, even though I have not worn either of these items while hiking, I was able to test them last night. My daughter had hockey practice last night. While she is practicing, I usually sit in my jeep and read my kindle. When we got to the rink at 7:30 pm, the temperature was 11 degrees and the wind was blowing. Needless to say, it was cold!!!

As I sat in the jeep with my gloves and hat on, I fell asleep, only to be awakened an hour and a half later when the practice was finished. Based on the fact that the only part of me that was remotely cold were my feet, I have to give both items two big thumbs up! My head and hands were nice and toasty and I am sure that when I get into the woods, they will work just as well.

Happy Hiking!